* {{p|Zorua}}, {{p|Zoroark}} and {{TM|95|Snarl}}, which were previously accessible through Nintendo events only, can now be found within the game without any special requirements.

* {{p|Zorua}}, {{p|Zoroark}} and {{TM|95|Snarl}}, which were previously accessible through Nintendo events only, can now be found within the game without any special requirements.

* The [[Kami Trio]] are notably the only [[Unova]] regional Pokémon absent from either game and must be obtained through the [[Pokémon Dream Radar]] and then transferred or alternatively they can be traded from {{2v2|Black|White}}. The Dream Radar is also necessary to obtain their new [[Form differences#Kami trio|forms]].

* The [[Kami Trio]] are notably the only [[Unova]] regional Pokémon absent from either game and must be obtained through the [[Pokémon Dream Radar]] and then transferred or alternatively they can be traded from {{2v2|Black|White}}. The Dream Radar is also necessary to obtain their new [[Form differences#Kami trio|forms]].

−

* Breeding was changed—the {{evostone|Everstone}} now always passes down Nature (if both parents hold Everstone, one parent's Nature is randomly picked). Furthermore, offspring have an 80% chance to have the Ability slot corresponding to their mother, unless it is a Hidden Ability; for example, {{p|Venomoth}} with {{a|Shield Dust}} is more likely to breed {{p|Venonat}} with {{a|Compoundeyes}} than with {{a|Tinted Lens}}.

Pokémon Black Version 2 (Japanese: ポケットモンスター ブラック ２Pocket Monsters Black 2) and Pokémon White Version 2 (Japanese: ポケットモンスター ホワイト ２Pocket Monsters White 2) are the second and final paired versions of Generation V and are the sequels of Pokémon Black and White, respectively.

Both games were revealed on Pokémon Smash! by Junichi Masuda, and subsequently the official Japanese and international[6] Pokémon websites, on February 26, 2012. They were released in Japan on June 23, 2012, in North America on October 7, 2012, in Australia on October 11, 2012, in Europe on October 12, 2012 and in South Korea on November 8, 2012.

The games feature two new forms of Kyurem that serve as the version mascots of the games: Black Kyurem for Black 2 and White Kyurem for White 2.

Plot

The games take place two years after the events of Pokémon Black and White. Many changes have taken place in Unova over this period: new locations are accessible in the southwest and northeast of the region, and some previously existing locations cannot be visited or are restricted until later in the game. Three new Gym Leaders and a new Champion are introduced, while the Unova Pokédex is expanded to include Pokémon foreign to the region, much like in Pokémon Platinum.

The player—named, by default, Nate if male or Rosa if female—begins in the southwestern city Aspertia City. After receiving their first Pokémon from Professor Juniper's assistant Bianca, they are encouraged to battle in Pokémon Gyms and aim for the Pokémon League. A boy from the player's hometown, Hugh, will travel with the player at certain times. Filling the traditional rival role, Hugh is not pursuing the Pokémon League challenge: it is revealed that he is trying to recover a stolen Pokémon from Team Plasma, who were not disbanded two years prior as expected.

Over the course of their journey, the player and Hugh will have numerous encounters with both current and former members of Team Plasma, as well as the mysterious scientist Colress. One of the Seven Sages, Zinzolin, appears in an antagonistic role, yet former sage Rood will help the player. The plot comes to a head when Zinzolin freezes Opelucid City in ice with a combination of technology and the legendary dragon Kyurem, which Team Plasma has captured. The player must defeat Team Plasma including its new leader Ghetsis to free Kyurem. Ghetsis will combine the power of Kyurem with the power of the legendary dragon befriended by his son two years earlier and force Kyurem to fuse with ZekromB2 or ReshiramW2. Only once Kyurem is safe and Team Plasma has been disbanded, can the player continue his or her journey to the Pokémon League.

After the main plot of the game has been completed, many inaccessible parts of Unova, including the Skyarrow Bridge, will be unlocked. Further Pokémon not native to Unova will be available, and the legendary Pokémon ZekromB2/ReshiramW2 and Kyurem will reveal themselves to the player. When they are caught, the player will be able to fuse the Pokémon and change Kyurem's form at will.

Blurb

Two powers combine...A new legend arises!Set off on a new Pokémon adventure to save the Unova region! You and your Pokémon can accomplish anything together!

Changes from Pokémon Black & White

Aesthetic changes

The opening is drastically different from the one in Black and White, now featuring the new gamecharacters, the Tao trio and the Swords of Justice. Also, the title screen shows either Black Kyurem or White Kyurem, depending on the version.

The bar that shows a Pokémon's level, experience points, and HP has been redesigned. It is black in Black 2 and white in White 2.

The area eyecatch has also been redesigned and shows the location in the top left of the screen and season in the bottom right. It is black in Black 2 and white in White 2.

The Unova Pokédex has been expanded tremendously to accommodate older Pokémon.

It also receives a slight aesthetic change, now having a red background instead of green.

The Pokédex also receives an upgrade in the form of the Habitat List. It consists of a list of all visited places, with the Pokémon found there listed (if they have been seen). The player will sometimes receive prizes from certain NPCs when a certain area is filled.

All returning Gym Leaders and Champions receive new sprites. This also applies for the overworld sprites.

Route 4 has changed drastically and also differs between Black 2 and White 2.

Places marked on the map with green dots in Black and White are now marked with green squares. Also, now when they are tapped they become red (though they still cannot be flown to). This was only true of Liberty Garden in Black and White.

During battles in tall grass, there are now visible tufts of grass around the platform, with varying colors depending on the season.

N returns to Unova with either ZekromB2 or ReshiramW2, who is then fused with Kyurem to form either Black KyuremB2 or White KyuremW2.

Unlike Pokémon Black and White, the version mascots Black KyuremB2 or White KyuremW2 can't be caught within the story, but can be obtained post-game by following certain requirements.

Cobalion and Virizion interact with the player, making it possible to catch them during the storyline, although it is possible to catch all three Pokémon including Terrakion.

Several tag battles take place throughout the game: one with the other player character, two with Cheren, four with Hugh, one with Bianca, and a daily tag battle with one of either Chili, Cress, or Cilan against the other two brothers.

A new attraction known as the Pokémon World Tournament opens up in Driftveil City, where the player battles Gym Leaders and Champions from all five regions, among others.

Another new attraction introduced is the Pokéstar Studios, located in Virbank City, where the player takes part in many different movies. Brycen and Sabrina appear here.

Lenora revives the player's Fossils.

Several new key items exclusive to Black and White 2 are introduced.

During the post-game, the player may find N at his castle and on the first visit, battles his ZekromB2 or ReshiramW2, who is free for capture after defeating N. Subsequent battles can be done once a season and feature N using a team of Pokémon centered around that season.

Several areas that were previously limited to the post-game of Black and White are now part of the main story. In contrast, some of the areas that were formerly part of the main story are now limited to the post-game.

The Xtransceiver adds two new mini-games called Balloon Catch, where the player needs to catch balloons of their face or an NPC's, and Balloon Smash, where the player needs to inflate the balloons as large as possible without bursting them.

If the player has used a Repel, after its effect wears off, and if the player has more Repels in their Bag, they will be asked if they would like to use another immediately without having to go into the menu.

Zorua, Zoroark and TM95 (Snarl), which were previously accessible through Nintendo events only, can now be found within the game without any special requirements.

The Kami Trio are notably the only Unova regional Pokémon absent from either game and must be obtained through the Pokémon Dream Radar and then transferred or alternatively they can be traded from Black and White. The Dream Radar is also necessary to obtain their new forms.

Breeding was changed—the Everstone now always passes down Nature (if both parents hold Everstone, one parent's Nature is randomly picked).

Features

Pokémon World Tournament

A new facility featured in Black 2 and White 2 is the Pokémon World Tournament, where the player is able to battle every Gym Leader and Champion (except Koga and Iris) from the main series games in various types of battles.

Seasons

Seasons once again return to the games. In addition to covering the entire screen upon starting the games, a text box appears at the bottom of the screen presenting the current season every time a new area is entered.

Sprite animations

Just like in Pokémon Black and White, the Pokémon sprites are fully animated and move throughout battles. However, unlike Black and White, every Trainer in the game has battle animations, as well as more frames which allow for smoother animations.

The game also introduces new entry sprite animations for Pokémon, much as if it were a Shiny Pokémon.

N's Pokémon, which are obtainable through Memory Link, (with the exception of N's Zorua, who is obtainable during the main plot) have a green/yellow diamond shine, along with their own sound.

Also, in the Pokéstar Studios, when a player successfully completes a movie with their Pokémon in an unusual matter by deviating from the script, their Pokémon will become a star and during battles, when the Pokémon is summoned, a star will bounce upwards and then back downwards. This is the only entry animation that can be added manually by the player.

Normally unavailable, Regice and Registeel can be caught in the Black 2 and White 2, respectively, after trading respective keys from game which has unlocked them. Initially, Regice's key is unlocked in White 2, and Registeel's in Black 2.

Compatibility

Black 2 and White 2 can connect with the Pokémon Dream Radar, which transfers Pokémon found to the player's game. The Pokémon Global Link has also been updated to make way for the release of Black 2 and White 2. The games are compatible with Black and White, much as Platinum is to Diamond and Pearl. The games can connect as with games of the same generation, and they operate on the same Global Trade Station server. Pokémon from Generation IV games (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver) can be transferred to these games using the Poké Transfer.

However, they are not entirely compatible with Pokémon Black and White as the updated Black 2 and White 2 Entralink no longer features the ability to travel into another player's "world" and thus Pass Powers are instead earned through minigames that take place in the hubworld. Likewise, a player in Black or White cannot connect with a Black 2 or White 2 via the Entralink system.

Beta elements

Trivia

Other than games with a simultaneous worldwide release, the localization period for these games was the shortest worldwide of the main series, having lasted about three and a half months for the majority of the translated versions, with 106 days for North America, 110 for Australia, 111 for Europe and 138 for South Korea.

They are the only main series Pokémon games to officially be a direct sequel to a pair of games from the same generation.

Pokémon Gold and Silver were initially advertised to be direct, numbered sequels to Generation I, originally dubbed "Pocket Monsters 2". This was changed later, also making Black 2 and White 2 the only main series games with a number in their title.

They are the only games to have anything after the word "Version" in their titles.

They are the only main series games in which the player's hometown is a city rather than a town.

They are the only paired versions to have the same Pokémon on both versions, with the only difference being its form.

They are the only main series games in which the version mascot cannot be obtained without trading before entering the Hall of Fame.

Also, these are the first main series games in which a legendary Pokémon cannot be caught during the first battle against it.

Players who pre-ordered the games from GameStop received a "Preview Guide" which hints at the new features and storyline, as well as explaining the TCG. It also includes parts of the animated trailer in a comic book-style format. The guide was released online in the UK.

These are the only games in which each Gym has different music from the others. Aspertia Gym uses the normal Gym theme (probably due to the fact that it is a Normal-type Gym), while other Gyms use remixed versions, which are influenced by the type used and the Gym Leader's secondary occupation.

Koga is the only current or former Gym Leader who is not presented in these games.

These are the first Pokémon games with a specific point at which the player is forced to save their game in the main story before entering the Hall of Fame. In this case, the player must save after creating their first movie at Pokéstar Studios.

While the opening sequence is mostly the same in both games, there are few differences. Black 2 has Black Kyurem black silhouette on dark screen with fog, while White 2 has White Kyurem's white silhouette on bright screen with fog, after which the yellow crest on Kyurem's head glows and game's respective logo appears. Later, during part before Zekrom, there is blue light in upper left corner in Black 2 and red light in lower right corner in White 2.

Reception

According to Famitsu and Yahoo Japan, the game sold 1,618,621 copies during its first weekend on sale, making it the third best selling DS game of all time.[7][8] In the fiscal year of their release, they sold 7.81 million units.[9]

IGN rated this game an "Amazing" 9.6/10[10] and called it more "than just a slightly expanded repackaging of the latest generation's core titles (a la Pokémon Yellow, Emerald or Platinum)" and that it features a "stunning amount of fresh content" over Pokémon Black and White which received a 9/10 from the site.[11]